1,000-year-old food storage pit discovered in Alaska

A cache pit dating backmost astir 1,000 years was discovered successful Alaska past year, subject officials precocious revealed — providing a glimpse into the food storage methods of the past.

Archaeologists from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), Northern Land Use Research Alaska and country tribal councils uncovered the birchbark-lined cache pit on Upper Cook Inlet successful June, according to a Dec. 6 quality merchandise from the Alaska subject analyzable wherever the find was made.

Cache pits are similar basal cellars. They were utilized to sphere fish, meat and berries, archaeologist Elizabeth Ortiz said. 

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"The caches were dug into well-drained soils and lined with birchbark and layers of grasses to sphere nutrient and are seldom discovered intact," Ortiz said, according to the quality release.

Initial radiocarbon dating revealed that the nutrient retention pit was utilized astir 1,000 years ago.

A cache pit dating backmost astir 1,000 years was discovered on an Alaskan way successful June 2024. (Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson)

The pit was recovered on a way well-known to person been utilized by the region's indigenous Dene people. 

It measured astir 3½ deep, researchers said. 

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Dene, oregon Athabascan, is simply a connection radical stretching from the Alaska interior done Canada and into the American Southwest, according to the release. 

Athabascans, including Dena'ina and Ahtna people, are Dene speakers.

A cache pit utilized by an indigenous radical successful Alaska to store nutrient measured astir 3½ feet deep. (Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson)

"This is the oldest known tract connected the eastbound broadside of Upper Cook Inlet and further substantiates Dena'ina and Ahtna oral traditions that JBER and the surrounding country person been utilized for a precise agelong time," archaeologist and JBER taste assets manager Margan Grover said.

Most of the tract was demolished by the subject successful 1942, Grover said. 

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Yet the pit and its intact birchbark lining was 1 of the fewer undisturbed features near astatine the Dene site.

"We are investigating to find what types of nutrient were stored successful the cache."

Samples of the intact bark lining were utilized to trial the property and contents of the pit. 

"Additional radiocarbon and unchangeable isotope tests could output caller and important accusation astir the past of Upper Cook Inlet," Ortiz said. 

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"We are besides investigating to find what types of food were stored successful the cache."

Preliminary findings bespeak the cache was utilized to store moose oregon caribou meat. 

Archaeologists are investigating to find what types of nutrient were stored successful the centuries-old Alaskan cache pit. (Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson)

"People came to this country successful the outpouring and would enactment done the summertime to drawback and preserve salmon," according to the release.

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Grover called the find "an accidental for radical to recognize who the Dene of Knik Arm are and however their ancestors lived connected the onshore that is present JBER and Anchorage."